Correctional services minister Pieter Groenewald wants inmates to grow food, make clothing, bake bread and work in factories to save taxpayers hundreds of millions of rand and promote rehabilitation.
“All [prison] uniforms are produced by inmates. All the furniture in my offices — Cape Town and Pretoria — has been manufactured by inmates, so it's much cheaper,” Groenewald said.
Though the furniture predates his appointment in 2024, Groenewald believes it reflects the sort of cost-cutting, skills-development approach he wants to entrench and expand throughout the prisons system.
From giving “hidings” to farming in prison, listen to Groenewald's prison plan:
R1bn in savings targeted
The department saves close to R500m a year from prison labour initiatives, Groenewald said. His goal is to double that saving to R1bn annually in the next two years by ramping up inmate productivity.
“Prisons are not hotels,” he said.
Corporal punishment proposed for petty theft
Groenewald is also proposing the reintroduction of corporal punishment for minor crimes — a controversial move that would require legal reform.
For petty theft, the court can determine “you get a good hiding and you go out with preconditions”.
Corporal punishment was banned in South African courts in 1995, but Groenewald believes it could provide a faster, less costly alternative to incarceration for low-level offenders.
Foreign prisoners deportation
Another proposal in Groenewald’s strategy is to reduce prison overcrowding, which he said is worsened by 26,000 foreigners in prisons, sentenced or awaiting trial, costing R11m a day.
“I want to send them back to their countries of origin. There are legal constraints, we will have to amend the act.”
Cellphones and signal jamming
Groenewald also raised concern about inmates using cellphones to continue criminal activity while behind bars. He supports signal jamming technology but warned solutions must be specific.
“So you have signal blockers but it must be a sophisticated blocker so you do not inconvenience surrounding communities, blocking their signals as well, but it costs money”
Tough stance on parole
On parole, Groenewald said his approach is deliberately strict.
“Parole can only be approved by myself. I am strict. If there is an application on my desk and the risk factors of reoffending is moderate to high, I refuse because I have a constitutional obligation to protect the community.”
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